Kendall Graveman enjoys first outing with catcher Jonathan Lucroy

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OAKLAND, CA – SEPTEMBER 22: Kendall Graveman #49 of the Oakland Athletics pitches against the Texas Rangers in the top of the first inning at Oakland Alameda Coliseum on September 22, 2017 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

GLENDALE, Ariz. — New A’s catcher Jonathan Lucroy has long been considered an exceptional pitch framer on balls down in the zone. That’s music to Kendall Graveman’s ears.

In their first outing together in Monday’s 3-1 loss to the Dodgers, Graveman was impressed with Lucroy’s ability to place a number of his sinkerballs for strikes in what was his most impressive start of the spring.

Graveman allowed no runs on two hits and no walks, striking out seven batters in 5 1/3 innings of work.

I think I shook him off one time tonight,” Graveman said. “I told him before the game I’m gonna trust and see how he calls a game and how he wants to go about it. I think he got me a couple of strikes. He does a good job with a low target and balls that are sinking in the bottom of the zone.”

Used to normally starting out the spring with a few good starts before struggling a bit towards the end, Graveman said the opposite has occurred for him this year.

After getting off to a slow start, Graveman has started to feel more like the pitcher the A’s would like to see as the expected Opening Day starter. He said that also seems to be the case throughout the rest of the pitching staff, with Sean Manaea, Paul Blackburn, and Daniel Mengden all having turned in impressive outings within the last week.

“I think you’ve been seeing a lot of guys trending upwards,” Graveman said. “I’ve had a tendency in the past to really start quick and not be on this kind of trend going into the season. I think it’s good for me right now to see that. The arm slot is getting in place.”

THE PLAN FOR CAHILL

New A’s pitcher Trevor Cahill won’t have much time to get settled in, but the A’s are going to do their best to speed up the process to get him as ready as he can be for the start of the season.

Manager Bob Melvin watched Cahill’s bullpen session Monday morning and said the pitcher appeared to be in good shape with his fastball sitting around 92-93 miles per hour.

“We’re gonna get him some innings here as quickly as we can before spring is over,” Melvin said. “His arm looks sound. He’s always had a good curveball and he’s added a changeup. We’ll see what we have in the next few days.”

Melvin mentioned Thursday’s game as a possible debut for Cahill, but they’ll wait a couple of days before deciding on an exact day.

Martin Gallegos is a multimedia beat reporter covering the Oakland Athletics. A native of San Jose, he frequently attended ballgames at both AT&T Park and the Oakland Coliseum as a kid. Prior to covering the A's, he covered the Earthquakes, San Jose State football, and high school sports around the Bay Area. A self-proclaimed "Burrito Connoisseur," Martin is constantly on the search for the best burrito in each Major League city.